Once you’ve got an infestation of pests, it can be very difficult to persuade them to leave. Rather than spending time and money evicting your unwanted tenants from your roof space, it’s worth discouraging them in the first place. Understanding what it is about your home that pests find attractive will help you to plan a roofing strategy that will prevent them from calling your house their home.

Common Roof Pests

Insects: Insects will usually only move into your home if they have a food source. The droppings of rodents/birds, damp wood or improperly stored textiles are all potential attractions. Keeping your roof space dry with weatherproof tiles and blocking out birds and rodents will reduce their food sources.

Bird’s Nests: You are almost never allowed to remove or destroy occupied bird’s nests, or block up the access holes, once they have made their way into your building. The exception to this is with feral birds such as pigeons. However, their removal must be shown to be in the best interests of public health, and must be done by contractors who have authorisation from the government to carry out the works.

Squirrels/Rodents: They are simply looking for a dry, safe space to breed and hide from bad weather. In addition to the diseases that rodents can bring into your home, they can wreak havoc by damaging walls and chewing on cables. Rodents also reproduce very quickly, so once they are in your home they are difficult to evict. Grey squirrels, once caught, cannot by law be released back into the wild – they must be humanely destroyed, at the homeowner’s expense.

Bats: It’s a serious offense to block the access of bats once they have chosen your roof as a roost, as they are protected by law. Many people are quite happy to share their homes with bats and other protected species, however if this isn’t something that you’d consider, you need to secure your roof before they move in.

Wasps/Bees: Wasps will sting when threatened, sometimes attacking in numbers, which is rarely fatal but can be very painful. Having a wasps nest destroyed takes time and money. Bees, however, should have their nest safely removed by a beekeeper and relocated to avoid having to kill them.

Keeping Out These Pests

Overhanging Branches: Trimming back branches that provide an easy bridge onto to your roof isn’t a fool-proof way of keeping out squirrels and other pests, but it will certainly decrease the likelihood of them stumbling across any gaps in your roofing that will give them access.

Choosing Tiles: Choosing strong tiles that have good all-round security is a must. This will prevent gaps and holes from forming unseen which will let pests in without you realising it until it’s too late. High-resistance steel roofing is a great option because it is strong, lightweight and low-maintenance.

Steel roofing doesn’t have to look like steel – Metrotile’s roofing comes in a range of styles that imitate traditional roofing, so you can add security without compromising on the aesthetics. You won’t have to invest time and money into maintaining a Metrotile roof to keep pests out – they have been tested in the most extreme weather conditions and require virtually no maintenance.

Ventilation: It’s very important to ventilate every building to reduce the effects associated with condensation – aside from the structural damage caused, the moisture could also attract pests. Vent tiles and/or accessories are a vital component of any roof to reduce these effects, but also potentially provide clear access into roof-spaces for pests. Good quality vent tiles and accessories should therefore be chosen, with mesh coverings that keep out pests while still allowing a through-flow of air.

Storing textiles: Plastic boxes to keep textiles covered and dry are highly recommended in attic spaces. Wood products and furniture should also be properly stored.

General Maintenance: Sealing up any cracks in your walls or round your windows and doors is vital for keeping out small pests like insects and mice. Choosing lightweight roof tiles decreases the load bearing down on your walls, which could help preserve the overall structure and decrease the stress cracks that can form over time.

Pre-planning is the key to keeping pests out of your home. A good roof constructed from high performance lightweight roof tiles is the ideal place to start. Get in touch with Metrotile on 01249 658514 to discuss how to increase the strength and security of your roof.